Halloween can be a rough time for kids who can’t eat candy. (Possible reasons: food allergies, diabetes, etc.) Trick-or-treating is just so tempting, and it’s a bummer to go through the activity but not be able to eat the spoils. Missing out on trick-or-treating to avoid the temptation sounds even worse. Here’s one way to handle it: do a candy buyback.

Remember how fun it was to come home from trick-or-treating and show off the plunder? Well, a candy-free kid may not be able to eat it, but he could still have a good time. Parents can arrange a set price per piece of candy, or make it a math lesson by assigning different values to different types. The child could spend Halloween night counting his riches. The next day, he could spend the candy money on something fun.

I overheard this one day at a crosswalk in Washington, DC. I must admit that I followed the two conversationalists (dads) until I heard the whole tip. It’s a good one, and I hope it helps someone this year.

The tip is so quick and simple. I thought the post could use a little more. Here is History.com’s Bet You Didn’t Know: Halloween. It’s a well-produced short about the history of the holiday. I believe it is totally school-appropriate. Enjoy!

You might enjoy these other Halloween posts at ClassAntics:

New Orleans Halloween: teach a Fall Festival lesson about the culture of New Orleans. Includes a FREE powerpoint of New Orleans cultural symbols and landmarks, book recommendations, and music tips.